Lehigh Valley Service To NY/NJ

[daveklepper]

At some point LV moved from the CRNJ Jersey City terminal to the PRR Exchange Place terminal for their local trains that did not go to Penn Station.  The power was then serviced by the PRR and not the CRNJ.  And they operated from Newark to Exchange Place as extras, not as scheduled trains, but did carry passengers.   (Where would the Asa Paker's locomotive be serviced in Newark, anyway?)  Westbound, they were scheduled in the PRR emplyees timetables.   And having ridden the LV several times, I remember the engine change point as being at the tower and track where NJT trains to Raritan currently leave the main line corridor and where the RDC Crusader and Wall Street remenant schedules to and from Reading Terminal via Bound Brook and West Trenton and Jenkintown left the main line.  In addition to GG-1's in used on LV trains to and from Penn Station and Sunnyside Yard, the single R-1 4-8-4 was often used in this service.   In fact, the Aldein Plan specifically used a stretch of LV main and one suburban passenger station to connect the CRNJ to the PRR.

When the Wall Street and the Crusader RDC's left Newark, the PRR public address train announcer did not announce the last stop as "Philadelphia", but "Reading Temrinal."

[timz]

You remember the LV originally ran to Perth Amboy, so their passenger trains originally got on the PRR at Metuchen and ran to PRR Jersey City. Around 1888 LV extended its main line toward Jersey City and shifted its passenger trains to CNJ Jersey City, initially (at least) via a connection at Roselle. Then in 1918 USRA shifted LV trains to NY Penn.

But that local continued to run all-LV to Jersey City until 1948 or whenever it was discontinued, and when the Asa Packer started in 1939 it ran PRR to Newark Penn and onward thru Journal Sq to the connection with the National Docks and worked its way over to LV Jersey City. That's what the book says (it also says the Asa Packer moved to NY Penn in 9/40) but far as we can tell from the 9/39 PRR employee timetable the Asa Packer then terminated at Newark Penn.

[timz]

Additional complication: there's a pic of the westward Asa Packer (?) in Newark Penn Station with the LV 4-6-2 already on it (circa 1939?). One wonders: did it originate there? If so, how did the equipment get there?

It seems LV did have its own passenger station in Jersey City, immediately north of the CNJ terminal. I'll see what the book says about when they used it; that motor from South Plainfield (?) always? went there.

[pajrr]

Hi Everyone! I have some questions about Lehigh Valley Passenger Service to NY/NJ. I know that some Lehigh Valley trains terminated at the CNJ Terminal in Jersey City, NJ. I also know that at least some LV trains went into Penn Station, NY. Did LV service go to both places at the same period of time? Was service to Jersey City replaced with service to Penn Station, NY?

    I believe that LV trains going to Penn Station picked up PRR electric locomotives at NK tower in Newark, NJ? In serving Jersey City where did LV connect with CNJ? Was that at Bound Brook, NJ? Thank you in advance to all who may be able to answer some of my questions.